Can and should the people with honorary doctorate degrees add 'Dr.' in front of their name?
Yes.Instead of spending nearly a decade of your youth in college abiding by academic rules and procedures, one should just strive to uniquely impact the world in a positive way.Those who receive doctorates do so because they have uniquely impacted the world in a positive way whether it is with music, prose, invention, or otherwise.To say that a doctorate earned by experience is less than a doctorate earned by passing tests/rules is indicative of bitterness.Someone who spent a decade in school to earn a PhD in English may never have touched as many lives as Dr. Maya Angelou.Someone who spent a decade in school to earn a PhD in Engineering may never have touched as many lives as Dr. Bill Gates.Obviously, the only criteria that educational institutions really have is that you uniquely impact the world in a positive way.High schoolers and undergrads conduct academic research and write papers so, no, that is not the criteria.The songs musicians play save lives just as medical doctors do.Those who look down upon honorary doctorates likely have not impacted the world on the level that those with honorary doctorates have.Those who look down upon honorary doctorates likely compare their years of effort in grad school to someone’s life’s work.Those who look down upon honorary doctorates likely feel anger and disappointment that there was more than one path to success in their field of interest.…and the resentment shows.But, nobody should be expected to be addressed as Doctor or any other title.Tésia Thomas's answer to Have you ever known a PhD holder who demanded to be called “doctor”?Disclaimer:In all honestly, I believe people with test-taking, rule-following PhDs let their destiny be controlled by an institution.They know this deep down and so are outraged at the people with experience-based PhDs.You are smart despite your degree and in spite of your degree.Take command of your future and don’t rely on the support of something else.“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on it’s own wings.” – Unknown
What is your salary? Are you happy with it?
I am a 29 year old female living in Philadelphia. I currently make $115K a year, and have recently accepted an offer that should put me at $165K + Bonus.My husband is 34 and makes about $95K, with another $60K coming in via bonuses each year, which puts his overall income around $155K.My bonus for the new job is supposed to be around the 15% mark, which would hopefully add another $30K to our overall income, bringing our household income to close to $350K including bonus, or $260K base. This is very decent income for a life in Philadelphia.We own a condo that I bought two years ago for $400K, putting in $100K as down payment. We also recently spent $50K on our wedding, and that, combined with the down payment for our home, has wiped our savings clean for the moment. My husband has a student loan of about $75K which we can pay off if we save for a year. However, we have made the conscious decision to keep investing our savings until the interest rate on the student loans exceeds our rate of return on the investments, at which point, it would be smarter to pay them off.We also contribute diligently to our retirement accounts. I have a combined $60K in retirement accounts from my current and previous jobs, and he has around $20K. We both plan on contributing to make full use of our companies’ match.Our monthly mortgage plus HOA dues come in at $2600 a month, which is very reasonable for the 2,400 square-foot riverfront condo that we live in, as well as it’s overall desirable location. Monthly utilities, car payments, insurance payments, student loan payments etc. add up to around $2,000. We are not big spenders, but we live comfortably - going out with friends or on date nights at least once a week, spending on entertainment (live theater, concerts, etc.) occasionally, taking an international trip once a year, etc. And even with all the expenditure, we are comfortably able to save up to $5K per month (excluding the 20% that I automatically contribute to my 401K until I hit the ceiling, and the 5% that my husband does), which is only expected to go up once I start my new job.To answer your question - Yes, I am very happy with where we are right now. Our current income enables us to enjoy the basic luxuries of the upper middle class living without having to forego on savings, and as a result we are able to build a strong financial future together while ensuring that we are having fun in the process.